28. Blaze
Chapter 28
Blaze
S unny was in her element going through box after box of nesting supplies. Within minutes, she was lost in her own world, pulling out blankets, running her hands over them, her face scrunching as she considered where they would go best.
Watching her was fascinating, the little facial expression she made when she found a throw blanket she particularly liked or the way her nose scrunched if one was a bit too scratchy. I had probably gone overboard when it came to buying nesting supplies, but I wanted her to have everything she could possibly need.
It wasn't often that I dipped into my family's money. I tended to view it as my parents’ money and not my own, even though they had gifted me a generous sum upon turning eighteen. My salary from the fire station was enough to keep me stocked in pizza and video games, so I was a happy alpha.
Now that we had Sunny, things were different.
She was worth spoiling.
She clearly didn't seem to think she was worthy of being showered with nice things, and I was going to take great joy in showing her otherwise. If I had to spend the next twenty years showering her with gifts, then so be it. I had a trust fund and a credit card with a very high spending limit.
I was also stubborn to a fault and willing to go toe to toe with her for as long as it took for her to accept my love and money.
One thing I failed to mention purposefully—because I was pretty sure she would throw something at my head if I told her—was that this was only a fraction of the things I'd bought. Walker was already starting looking at houses with proper nesting space for Sunny, so she would need more. A lot more .
Naturally, we would encourage her to go shopping herself to pick out whatever items she wanted—on our dime, of course—but knowing Sunny, she would be reluctant. I had taken the liberty of buying a lot already, so when we finally did get a house, her space wouldn’t be sparse.
If, by some miracle, she did accept our money and went shopping of her own volition, I would simply donate everything I bought before she even knew it existed.
That way, the nesting supplies could help someone else.
“This is pretty,” she whispered to herself as she shook out a fluffy green throw.
The toddler bed had been a pain in the ass to build. It had railings, so Luka couldn't go for any solo adventures yet, even though I had no doubt he was going to try. At the store, there had been a toddler bed shaped like a fire truck. The restraint it took me not to buy that had been monumental. But I was going to let Sunshine choose the furniture for Luka’s room when the time came.
“I'm pretty sure there's some matching throw pillows in that box over there,” I said with a grin, pointing to one of the corner piles.
Sunny’s eyes widened as she hurried to the box, diving in. Once she had started rushing through all the boxes, her attitude quickly changed from reluctant to entranced by all the soft, squishy things.
No omega could resist the call of nesting supplies.
It was fascinating to watch her be so enthralled by the entire experience. She looked over every item so critically, I could practically see the cogs turning in her brain.
Still, this wasn't a proper nest; it was merely making this room comfortable for Sunny in the short term.
The house would be a whole different story. She would be building a nest there that hopefully, one day, I would get invited into.
Fuck, I wanted that.
After she had gone through the first three boxes, she stopped complaining it was too much and surrendered herself to the call of nesting. She took tiny steps as she wandered the room, moving items around, taking a blanket off the bed before putting it back, taking it off again, and putting it back once again.
“I’ve got a few work calls to take care of. I’ll leave you in this idiot’s hands.” Walker jerked a thumb at me before pulling the distracted omega in for a hug and kissing the top of her head. Her eyes never once left her gifts and were almost hazy in appearance, like Sunny wasn't completely there. Her omega was taking over.
“I’d rather be an idiot than prematurely gray!” I said, making Walker glare at me before giving Sunny another kiss and leaving.
I took a seat on the floor near the door, the farthest away that I could be, while still keeping an eye on her. I desperately wanted to watch her work.
Not long after Walker departed, our other pack mate turned up. “Dinner is almost ready, Cher,” he declared, his eyes widening at the carnage around him. “This is something,” he said, taking in the piles of blankets and pillows strewn across the room.
Sunny pouted. “Blaze gave me too many options!”
My eyes widened. Had I done that? I wanted her to pick whatever she wanted, but had I overwhelmed her with my enthusiasm?
Rune didn’t seem phased. In fact, he chuckled at her antics. “Cher, plenty of choices is good.”
“I suppose.” She nodded, more focused on untangling the fairy lights I had found than looking at Rune.
“You want me to help put those up, or do you want me to go sit with Blaze? Dinner will keep easily enough,” he said, gesturing to the tangle of fairy lights in her hand.
She sighed. “You can help. You have to put them up exactly where I say, though.”
“Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing anything else,” he said seriously as he took the lights out of her hand.
She pointed to the wall and started talking him through how she wanted them hung.
“You know you can put me to work as well, sunshine,” I said.
Sunny cocked her head to the side. “But Rune is taller. He can reach the lights,” she mused.
I choked on a laugh. Yes, Rune was taller than all of us, but I wasn’t short, by any means. Nesting logic was somewhat flawed, but I wasn't going to risk arguing.
Rune just smirked at me playfully, almost pridefully, as he did our omega’s bidding.
Once the toddler bed was built and the mattress was on, we both took a step back to let her work and enjoy the view. It took almost two hours for her to get the room to her liking, but once she did, she turned to me with a dazzling smile.
“Thank you.” She crashed into my chest and gave me a tight hug, drowning me in her sweet lemon scent. I had been sitting to the side quietly, but now I was grateful she was acknowledging me. Wrapping my arms around her, I squeezed her tightly.
Behind her, Rune smiled serenely. He was in heaven helping our omega make a temporary nest.
The room was no longer cold and sterile. In fact, it was inviting. Soft fabric covered most surfaces, and there was a pile of pillows on the bed that were sky high. We had added a small lamp to the bedside table so the room could be illuminated in a soft, warm glow.
“You think this will be comfortable enough for a while?” I asked, brushing a wayward strand of hair out of her face. Fuck, she’s painfully beautiful. How does she not realize it? Why isn’t there a plethora of alphas banging down her door, begging for her attention?
Sunny beamed up at me, biting her lip. She hadn’t stopped hugging me, and I was making no movements to stop either. I would have kept hugging her for days if she allowed me.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered.
It wasn’t, but it would do. One day, hopefully soon, she would have a proper nest.
What use was having family money if I couldn’t spoil her?
Just as we were finishing up, the familiar alarm ripped through the station, and I gave Sunny a sad look.
“Duty calls,” I said with a pout.
Rune looked at his phone. “Shit. It’s an all-hands-on-deck call, shit.”
That meant we all needed to go, possibly a big building fire, the more firefighters the better.
“Go!” Sunny shooed me away with a smile. I hated leaving her there, sitting on the bed wearing one of my T-shirts, beaming at me.
But a fire was a fire.
Walker would have to stay here with Sunny.
“With any luck, it's a cat stuck in a tree and they mislabeled the fire, and we will be home in no time.” I grinned.
As I turned to leave the room, Walker entered, carrying a sleepy-looking little boy.
“He woke up five minutes ago,” he explained as he passed Luka to Sunny.
“Give me my baby and shoo!” Sunny giggled, scooping up Luka and nuzzling him close.
“I’m staying,” Walker told her, but he was frowning.
Sunny huffed, glaring at him as she cuddled the toddler close. “Walker Landry, I have been on bed rest for an entire week! I can look after him for a few hours.”
“You shouldn’t have to…”
“I can tell by that frown and the anxiety pulsing through the bond that this is a big fire—I’m sure you’ll feel more comfortable there with the guys. I am well rested, fed, and full of energy. Luka and I are just going to play with blocks and watch dancing fruit videos.”
“Are you sure?” Walker asked, searching her face for the slightest hint of hesitation.
“Walker, get out of here—if you stay, you’re going to stress me out more with all your panic and anxiety. Please, I mean this in the nicest way, go away.”
A laugh escaped Walker’s chest, and he pulled Sunny into his arms, kissing her forehead and inhaling her scent.
“I’ll have my phone on me. I may be bad at answering, but if you need anything, tell me.”
“I will,” she assured him with a nod.
Fuck, they were so sweet together, and I didn’t want to go.
Walker, ever the serious one, grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me out of the room.